Following Ofqual's announcement in December 2011, a number of changes will be made to the current GCSE qualification. The changes were proposed in the Government's White Paper The Importance of Teaching, published in November 2010
We can confirm that the key changes are:
The timelines for these changes are as follows.
The changes will affect the following areas of the GCSEs.
The changes will affect GCSEs offered in England. The Welsh Government has not yet decided whether the linear requirement will apply in Wales. AQA will review its position when regulations for Wales are known.
We are working on implementing these changes in our specifications. In most cases this will involve minor changes in wording to clarify the change to 100% terminal assessment. In a few cases, there may be wider changes in assessment structures. In all cases, we will keep you informed at every stage. We will work closely with you to ensure that any changes are understood and do not adversely affect you and your students.